Kim
Possible is owned/copyrighted by Disney and its affiliates, etc. etc.

Chapter 28:
End game

Part I: The World Is Not Enough

Chief Sakituya stood outside his cabin at Kamp Kwitcherbeliakin, looking out over the lake. He beheld the nearby woods and forest, as well as the surrounding mountains. The sky was a deep blue, streaked with white, fleecy clouds. All seemed peaceful. There was hardly any sound, not even any bird song or insect noises.

He turned his eyes to the surrounding cabins, and again noted the utter stillness. Usually there were birds flitting curiously from cabin roof to cabin roof, squirrels and chipmunks scurrying here and there, raccoons and foxes lurking around the mess hall in hope of snatching a scrap of food. But now there was nothing, and even the wispy sound of his cloak as he turned his head seemed loud.

Then the silence was broken by a soft rustling that came from everywhere. Every leaf in every tree suddenly seemed to be astir, tossing fitfully on their branches. Gentle Paw, the grizzly bear who his friend and the camp mascot, raised his shaggy head and let out a nervous sounding growl.

'Yes Ikkinikinsstiwa.' said the Indian Chief. 'I feel it too. The wind has changed. The beasts of the forest are frightened and silent. Something is about to happen.'

Gentle Paw turned his massive head in the direction of the cabin where he normally slept; the cabin where Rhonda had spent a miserable summer years ago. He snorted and nodded, and Sakituya nodded as well.

'I believe you are right, old friend.' he said, and sighed deeply. He went to his cabin and fetched some belongings, closing the door behind him when he went back outside. 'I will need you to look after the camp while I am away.' he said to Gentle Paw, who bowed his head.

Sakituya made his way to the entrance of the camp, and the road which stretched out before him. He paused and looked back at the cabins, the mountains and the forest. 'It is nearly time.'

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Grimm sat at the computer desk in his dim basement room, tapping his finger. Rueful was watching him, his head nodding in time to the tapping motions of his finger. Grimm had finally managed to pacify Ms. Darken about defacing the statue at school, but now he was fighting back an uncomfortable feeling. It was the same fluttering, twitching sensation in his stomach that he'd felt at the UNIT labs just before Rhonda had been banished and things had gone horribly, horribly wrong. Never before had thirty minutes gone by so slowly. He anxiously awaited the call he knew was coming, but dreaded the news he was sure it would bring.

Eventually, the chat window on his computer popped up and Twitch was there. Without waiting, Grimm spoke. 'Talk to me, Twitch.' he said quickly.

'We got to most of them.' Twitch answered. 'You wouldn't believe what we had to do to distract the people round the statues in the fountain outside the mall...'

'How many did you check?' Grimm said.

'About seventy.'

'And how many were marked?'

'All of them.' said Twitch. 'At least, all the ones outside. The ones inside buildings were clear, so we didn't count those.'

Grimm leaned forward. 'I had Jade pass on a message to some of your overseas contacts.' he said. 'Some in Moscow, Paris, and Taiwan. Did they touch base?'

'Yeah.' Twitch nodded.

'And?'

'They found 'em there too. They're everywhere, dude - how did you know?'

'Later.' said Grimm anxiously. 'Did your guys scratch out the marks?'

'Some of them,' said Twitch, shaking his head. 'But we gotta be careful about this - you know what it's like in places like Iran and Russia - if the police saw anyone scraping statues, cops would take them down like that.' he snapped his fingers. 'Probably the army, too. It's state property over there you know.'

'They're gonna have to find a way.' said Grimm. 'Jail time will be the least of their problems if we don't get these statues fixed in a big way, and fast.'

'Dude, what's going on here?' said Twitch. 'What is all this?'

Grimm shook his head. 'Trust me on this one Twitch.' he said. 'Keep at it, and keep me posted.' He closed the window, and immediately Jade's picture popped up on a new chat screen, a second one also popped up showing Wade. Jade was mixing at a large vat of some white substance while Wade was welding feverishly over the superstructure of another of Dementor's Counter-Jammers.

'I can understand you not totally leveling with Twitch,' said Jade, sweat running down her forehead as she heaved the large pole in the vat before her. 'But now that it's just us - how did you know?'

'A guess - a riddle.' said Grimm. 'The statue at school was marked, I'm guessing that's because they all are.'

'All of them?' said Wade, 'Everywhere?'

'That's my hunch.' Grimm muttered. 'If Maze and Monkey Fist knew where we were, they'd have hit us with everything they've got instead of just marking the statues in town.'

'How'd they reach Riddleton at all?' Jade grunted, stirring again. 'No one knows where we are.'

'Because it's not just Riddleton they reached.' Grimm said. 'I don't think they've been quiet for so many days because their Jammer wasn't working. I think they've been using it on the sly across the whole planet for days. I'm not sure how exactly, but they've been using the Jammer as part of an operation to mark every statue on the face of the Earth.'

Wade was shaking his head. 'But our detector would have alerted us...'

Jade interrupted. 'It only works when they take control of a satellite,' she said. 'If they've just been piggy-backing on ordinary satellite operations without breaking their normal patterns...'

'They could broadcast signals without detection...' said Wade, pausing in his welding.

'And route them anywhere on the planet.' Jade finished.

Wade slapped his forehead. 'And they could have been doing it for days.' he said.

'Long enough to mark who knows how many statues?' Jade said.

'But to what end?' said Wade.

'Come on.' Jade sneered. 'This is just like what Drakken did with his Diablo robots, only sneakier.'

'Yeah.' said Grimm, tapping his finger again. 'You have to figure - there are hundreds of thousands - maybe millions of statues all over the globe. If they were all marked, then Maze could use the Jammer to animate them all at once and blammo.'

Jade nodded. 'Instant army - in every country and ready to act once the signal goes out. An indestructible army that's immune to every conventional weapon. They may not be Diablo robots, but they won't require a coordinating signal like the Diablos did.'

'Which means even if we managed to find and shut down the Ultra-Atmospheric Jammer,' said Wade, 'The golems would still be able to act independently.'

'So I need a bottom line from you guys.' said Grimm. 'How big an area will the Counter-Jammer protect?'

'Not big enough.' said Jade, grimacing. 'It'll only cover an area about the size of the midwestern states. If we had a few dozen of them, maybe...'

'That'll have to do for now.' Grimm said darkly. 'Hopefully we can defuse most of their statues before Monkey Fist knows we're on to him. How's the Moo Goo coming?'

'I'll tell Dad.' Grimm said. 'If we get the DOD and the Army Corps of Engineers on it, we'll at least have some weapons we can use to fight them.'

'Even so, we need to determine what areas we're going to protect from the UAJ.' said Wade, breaking in. 'We can't assume that we'll clear every statue that's marked - we should use the Counter-Jammer to set some safe zones - I can even rig it so we can protect multiple areas with smaller coverage. Which areas should we focus on?'

'The general area where Riddleton is - natch.' said Jade. 'If we go down, then no one's safe.'

'And Middleton.' said Wade, defensively.

'He's right.' said Grimm. 'Monkey Fist will probably hit there full bore. Middleton's got the Space Center and a lot of telecommunication facilities - they're important.'

'Washington.' said Jade. 'Any national counterstrike will be coordinated there.'

'Where else?' said Wade.

Grimm was silent, still tapping his finger.

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In the spirit world, Ron and Rhonda were watching Grimm coordinating with Jade and Wade, dumbfounded by what they were hearing.

'Those.... jerks!' said Rhonda. 'A global golem slam-dance?'

But Ron was also seeing Kim at Yamanouchi, resting after another day in Toshimiru's dojo. And he was suddenly filled with a powerful feeling that he couldn't ignore. He leaned toward Grimm, shouting and concentrating as hard as he could.

'Don't forget Kim! You said she was supposed to do... something at Yamanouchi! How's she gonna do that if Monkey Fist goes after them? Haloo? You hearing me? Pro-teeeeect Kiiiiimm!!'

Rhonda felt the same sense of urgency, though she couldn't tell where is was coming from. But it was so strong she found herself speaking into Grimm's other ear. She didn't yell like Ron did, but focused her mind and spoke to him quietly but firmly. 'You need to protect Kim.... I know you don't like it, but Kim's gotta be part of this - you said so yourself... You need to protect Kim...!'

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The feeling of nervousness and anxiety Grimm was feeling didn't seem to be lessening as he discussed things with Wade and Jade. He had a strange feeling of rushed annoyance that he felt whenever he was in a department store, hearing dozens of voices all around him at once. Rueful was suddenly scurrying around on the desk next to the monitor, squeaking loudly. Grimm stared at him, and Rueful started pointing animatedly at one of the pictures of Kim he had mounted on his 'Wall of Humiliation'.

And he understood. He could even half-fancy he heard imagined voices around him saying 'Don't forget Kim'. 'Possible.' he muttered, and Rueful stopped squeaking and was nodding. 'We have to protect the Yamanouchi School.'

Jade bit her lip. 'That's gonna be tough.' she said. 'The Counter-Jammer is here in Riddleton - Yamanouchi is in Japan on the other side of the planet. The amount of land space we can protect diminishes the further away from the Counter-Jammer you get. We'd need to reduce the amount of space we cover nearby to cover a distant target.'

'We have to make it work.' said Grimm. 'The Great Bear had me take her there for a reason. We have to make sure they're protected.'

Jade turned her face to the chat window where Wade was located. 'Then it'd be nicer if we had another Counter-Jammer...' she said pointedly.

'Help him.' said Grimm. 'But get a recipe for the Moo Goo ready. I'll pass it on to Dad and he can bring the military in on it.'

'If they'll believe it.' said Jade. 'This is gonna be a tough sell without evidence - all we've got now are some statues with graffiti. If that lunkhead Will Du at Global Justice didn't buy it, then world governments won't be any easier.'

'After that business in Middleton with the giant golem, I think the US will be a softer touch.' said Grimm. 'Let's move, people.'

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At the Yamanouchi school, one of the many ninjas among their ranks was resting in his room when he heard a soft beeping. Master Sensei frowned on students using cell phones and the like, saying it was a disturbance to the peace and meditation that a true ninja should be able to achieve.

But Bekko wasn't just a Yamanouchi student - he was also one of the Riddleton Irregulars. He honored and respected Master Sensei, and one of the lessons that he learned as a ninja was that information was also power, so he put up with the dishonor of violating school protocol to make occasional contact with the Irregulars.

And now his communicator was beeping. He quickly answered since the paper walls of the Yamanouchi dorms weren't good for blocking sound, and he wanted to answer quietly before anyone might overhear.

'Gashi.' he whispered.

'Yo Bekko - it's Twitch.' came the answering voice.

'Twitch-san.' Bekko answered. 'You know it is dangerous to call outside our pre-arranged time. If Master Sensei were to hear of this...'

'Sorry, dude - it's kind of an emergency. You know that redhead chick that Probable brought to your school a few days ago?'

'Yes.' said Bekko, now curious. It was now widely known at the school that Possible-chan, who had helped Yamanouchi during the attack from the Yono, had been given the honor of using Toshimiru's dojo. Though the object of her studies was still a mystery.

'Probable thinks that some dude called Monkey Fist is gonna hit Yamanouchi so he can get to her.' Twitch said.

Bekko's hand tightened around his communicator. It was also widely known that Monkey Fist had escaped the Yono's curse and was now at large - and the memory of his attack on the school was still fresh in the minds of many students who had spent weeks repairing the damage. 'Information is power.' he said quietly. 'How should we prepare?'

'Get together as many people as you can and check every statue at or near your funky ninja school.' said Twitch. Check them for this.' A graphic showing the Hebrew word emet blipped onto Bekko's communicator screen. 'I donno exactly what it's about, but Probable says we gotta scratch out this mark on the far left. He says it's some kind of mystical mumbo-jumbo, if you believe in magic....'

Bekko knew that Twitch didn't understand ninja training, which included the study of mystical arts, including the Yono and other things that most people would find fantastic or preposterous. So he raised no questions, and simply nodded. 'We will act swiftly, and with honor to defend our school.' he said. 'Many thanks, Twitch-san.'

'Yeah...' said Twitch, who was looking back and forth as if he were worried about being watched. 'San-san to you too. Later.'

Bekko turned off his communicator quickly donned his ninja gear, and he eyed the sais he kept next to his pillow.

It was only a few minutes later that he and a pair of other students he trusted were examining the large statue of Toshimiru in the central courtyard. 'Should we not inform Master Sensei?' said one of them, as he boosted Bekko up to the statue's shoulder.

'Unless our training has been weak, that will not be necessary.' Bekko answered in a low voice. 'If we work quickly, Sensei need never know the school was in danger.' He examined the statue's forehead and it's hands, and he spotted the symbols Twitch had shown him, etched into the back of the left hand. He didn't understand how Twitch had known they were there, but he accepted it now as a mission objective to be carried out.

But as he took out his sai and began to draw it hard across the aleph symbol, he was distracted. A large, black crow suddenly swooped down, scratching at his ninja hood with sharp claws. Bekko waved the bird away angrily, but it circled and swooped, passing over and pecking hard at the top of his head.

Bekko yelped, for the crow's beak was harder and sharper than he had expected. In fact if it weren't for his headband, he was sure it would have drawn blood. He glanced up and saw a flash of gleaming metal at the tip of the crow's beak. The bird was croaking angrily as it fluttered around.

One of his companions on the ground quickly reached in his pouch and cast out a fine mesh net with weighted beads at the edge, designed for slowing or tripping enemies. It swept over the crow and dragged it down to the ground where it struggled and thrashed loudly, filling the air with it's harsh cries.

'Silence it!' Bekko hissed, swiftly scraping his sai across the aleph symbol. He left a deep gouge across the mark and dropped back to the ground while his friends clamped their hands over the beak of the crow, stifling it's croaking. They retreated to a shaded area behind the courtyard just as some of the guards patrolling the school emerged on the battlements.

'Bekko - Kokoro - Minoru!' came a deep voice. Bekko froze, motioning his friends to do likewise as Master Sensei approached them from the main building, his kindly face now stern. Sensei looked at them, at Bekko's drawn weapon, and at the crow still struggling in their net. 'Explain yourselves.' he said, scowling.

Soon they were in Sensei's office, telling him everything. The ninja master sighed, looking down at his fingers. 'I am disappointed that you chose not to confide in me from the beginning.' he said, 'But I believe you felt you were acting in the best interest of Yamanouchi.'

'I accept all the blame, Master Sensei.' said Bekko. 'My friends acted only on my insistence - I will bear their punishment.'

'The discussion of your punishment must wait.' said Sensei. 'For am I not right in guessing that your work is not yet complete?'

Bekko looked back and forth to his companions, then nodded. 'I was warned that all the statues in or around the school should be checked. Somehow, they may be used as weapons against Possible-chan.'

Sensei stroked his flowing, white beard. 'Very well. We must also determine what to do with your feathered friend.'

The group followed Sensei into another room where the netted crow had been left. But as they entered, they saw only an empty table, with an equally empty net lying on top of it. Several broken strands in the net, and an open window, told them the tale of what must have happened. Sensei turned to Bekko and the others. 'We must inform the school at once.' he said. 'Your task must be finished swiftly.'

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Monkey Fist sat in a rough stone chair within their lair, twiddling his petrified fingers as he stared up at the thrumming hulk of the Ultra-Atmospheric Jammer. He sighed, checking a clock set up on one of the stone desks filled with computers and equipment. 'Progress report.' he said at last.

Dr. Drakken's head popped up above the banks of computers. 'We achieved global saturation already.' he said, checking a screen which was running a computer model. 'Your birds have marked most of the world's statues. Of course it's impossible to verify, but the areas you've targeted with your signals have covered at least 99 percent of the world's landmass. The computer is crunching numbers based on internet records of how many statues are on the Earth, estimated bird population, along with the time they've had to work. It's a rough estimate, but crows have excellent eyesight, so they should have spotted and marked any statue visible from the air....'

'Very good.' said Monkey Fist. 'Any additional markings we make now will be simple refinement - the bulk of the labor should be complete, or close to complete.'

'You know, you might have told me at the outset that this was what you were planning.' said Drakken with a sulky voice.

'Now where's the fun in that?' said Monkey Fist. 'Surely in your own experience, you've observed that schemes go off much more smoothly when you don't announce them ahead of schedule.'

Drakken thought about his own plan with the Diablos and with the cupcake factory - in both instances, keeping things under wraps has yielded better results. Though in both cases, he had still lost. He bit his lip and said nothing.

There was a sudden noise as the lift connected to the Ultra-Atmospheric Jammer hummed and lowered to ground level. The door opened and Maze stormed out, looking anxious. 'I have had my feathered servants watching the Yamanouchi School, as you requested.' he said. 'And I have news.'

'Possible - you've found her?' Monkey Fist said, leaning forward.

'No.' said Maze, glaring. 'But their ninja have destroyed the symbols on the statue in their courtyard! Through the eyes of the crows, I have seen others searching the school and inspecting the remaining statues.' He paused, his knuckles whitening around his staff. 'How could they have known?'

'Possible. Probable.' Monkey Fist growled. 'One - or both of them are there at the school, even if you haven't seen them. They knew the secret of our golems and how to break the enchantment. They have finally deduced our end game and are moving to counter us.'

Maze's teeth were gritted. He looked back and forth between Monkey Fist and the Jammer. 'We are out of time.' he said. 'We must act now or all of our work will have been for nothing!'

Monkey Fist sighed. 'Agreed.' he said. 'It's sooner than I would have liked, but it would seem that secrecy is no longer an option.' He turned to Maze, speaking firmly. 'Return to the Immersion chamber at once.' he said. 'Are you prepared to do what must be done?'

Maze nodded. 'I have been preparing for this moment for many long years.' he said.

'Even with the Jammer at full power, it may strain you greatly.' said Monkey Fist. 'Once we have begun, you must not falter until the enchantment is complete.'

'I know.' said the shadow shaman, and he went back into the lift, which hummed and whined as it rose back up.

Monkey Fist stared at Drakken. 'Well?' he said. 'You heard, didn't you? Put the Jammer at full power - now - and prepare to use all the Earth's satellites simultaneously!'

Drakken began typing hard and flipping switches at various work stations. The generators at the rear of the lair revved up, filling the air with the whining of turbines and the crackling of electricity. The lights and components on the Ultra Atmospheric Jammer glowed piercingly bright. 'Their detector will pick this up.' he said. 'They'll know what's happening.'

'That won't be an issue anymore.' said Monkey Fist.

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Maze hastened back into the Immersion Pod and quickly donned the gauntlets and helmet, standing inside the harness on it's raised platform. He braced himself for the massive effort that he knew he would soon have to endure as he heard the Jammer powering up all around him.

He focused his will. With the Ultra-Atmospheric Jammer at full power, and with all the world's satellites under its control, he felt again the sensation of control. He concentrated with all his might and began to chant, willing his awareness to melt into the shadows.

Emet - Sipimottakiksi,
Nikaahtomaana nitaanistsi'toyiiwa!

Emet - Sipimottakiksi,
Nikaahtomaana nitaanistsi'toyiiwa!

The Jammer projected Maze's powers, carrying his enchantment and his awareness into every satellite around the world. And under Monkey Fist's and Drakken's direction, the satellites focused that energy back down to the Earth.

Even across the half of the world that was still in daylight, Maze could feel every shadow, in every corner or crevice. At his command, the shadows spread out like searching fingers, and touched every statue which was marked with the Hebrew word emet...

Emet - Sipimottakiksi,
Nikaahtomaana nitaanistsi'toyiiwa...!

The symbols on every statue glowed and smoked briefly, and then the statues began to move...

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In Jade's work shed, a loud buzzer blared, echoing from wall to wall. Jade left her labors, running to the nearest computer. She typed hastily, bringing up several monitoring windows. Each was was blinking red, and an interactive model of the Earth showed hundreds of blinking red dots.
'Oh crud.' she said, and raced to the controls to Dementor's Counter-Jammer...

Part II: Monkey Fist Rising

Mr. Probable sat behind the desk in the den of his house, looking across at his son. 'Golems?' he said at last. 'Living statues?'

'Yeah.' said Grimm, not looking his father in the eye. He looked at the pencil holders on the desk, the name plaque and the crossed flags in a display stand next to the blotter. 'I know it sounds crazy, but if your friends at the DOD give you any grief, just remind them about the giant one that tore through Middleton the other day.'

'They're still debating that.' said Mr. Probable. 'Lots of them are still saying it was just a robot in disguise. They don't want to believe in this mysticism stuff. They were focusing more on the unknown factor of that giant blue bear you used.'

'What's coming down the pike is gonna make that business in Middleton look tame.' said Grimm.

Mr. Probable didn't answer for a moment. 'If that's true, is there any chance this 'Great Bear' will help you again?' he said at last.

'I wouldn't gamble on it.' said Grimm, shaking his head.

Mr. Probable sighed. 'There are hundreds of thousands of statues across this country alone, in all kinds of sizes and shapes.' he said, 'We'd have to mount a national operation to clear them the way you described. Do you know how hard it is to get our politicians to agree on anything? I wouldn't trust them to open a can of sardines that was already open. And a story as far-fetched as this, even if there's truth in it...'

Grimm chuckled bitterly. 'Truth.' He thought. 'Emet means truth. Maybe this is a truth people just won't accept until it jumps to life and starts tearing up their houses...'

''I showed you pictures of the marked statues here in town...' Grimm said, but his father cut across him.

'I'm sold, boy.' he said. 'I don't think you're pulling my leg or trying another head game. But even you have to realize it's going to be tough to get action on this without any proof.'

'You may have to go over the politicians' heads this time.' said Grimm. 'I don't know how long it'll be before Monkey Fist realizes we're on to his game, but when he does...'

'Well, this 'Moo Goo' gun is something my colleagues will understand at least.' Mr. Probable growled. 'Valor needs two things, strength and a weapon. I'll do what I can to push this through, but that whole Hebrew lettering business...'

They were suddenly interrupted by Grimm's communicator. It didn't make it's normal four-note beep though. It sent out a regular, grating buzz, and all it's buttons were flashing red. It was their emergency klaxon - which they never used except when there was genuine danger.

Grimm quickly picked up, and Jade's voice was shouting over the other end. '...every satellite in orbit is re-orienting!' she said. 'We're out of time G-Man, they're going live right now!'

'Then it's about to get it's baptism of fire.' Grimm muttered. 'Make sure it fends off the satellites and protects the locations we talked about. And keep helping Wade with the other Counter-Jammer. I'll be there soon....'

He turned off his communicator. Mr. Probable was holding the Moo Goo recipe in his hand, along with the gun schematics. 'Pass that on to the military brass.' Grimm said. 'They'll snicker at first, but once reports start coming in, they're gonna want as many of those as they can put together.'

Mr. Probable nodded.

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In China, the Terra Cotta warriors suddenly leaped from their stands and charged. The Chinese army weren't sure what to do. The military squads near the popular display were assigned to protect the ancient statues from vandals and clumsy tourists - harming the statues was against their orders.

But as the statues crashed into their ranks, several soldiers opened fire. The bullets from their weapons sang off the magically animated stone as the golems advanced. Dragon statues and other stone sculptures, long admired as art and decoration, sprang to life in every town and city, joining the fray...

England and France found themselves besieged by armies of statues which they long maintained and protected as national monuments. Historical figures past and present wrought chaos in the streets. In gardens, around cathedrals and in plazas up and down Europe, stone figures long seen and all but ignored were running amok and overwhelming the police.

Stunned residents and archeologists in Egypt watched in horrified amazement as the Sphinx heaved itself up from centuries of desert sand, sending cars flying as it swept gigantic stone paws across the surrounding roads leading to the Pyramids. In the Valley of the Kings, at Abu Simbel, the Luxor Temple and in other locations across the Nile, huge weather-scarred statues began a rampage of destruction.

Statues in India, Mongolia, Africa and Asia rose up and began tearing down houses, wrecking vehicles and sending local populations scattering while authorities tried in vain to stop them. In Japan, a colossal life-size statue of a Gundam mech made metallic squealing noises as it flexed it's huge limbs and began crashing forward. Some of the younger children who saw it from a distance smiled and clapped their hands until it began smashing buildings with its fists. Buddha statues and sculptures in shrines across the island wrought panic everywhere.

Across the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America, similar scenes of bedlam erupted as Maze's power brought his golem slaves to life. In New York City, astonished boaters near Ellis Island watched as the Statue of Liberty wrenched itself free from it's massive base. It plunged into the water and began a slow, plodding walk towards the shoreline. One of the observers on the shore started taking pictures, wondering if they were re-filming 'Ghostbusters 2'.

Gargoyle statues mounted throughout Brooklyn, Broadway, Lexington and across the Hudson tore loose from their grimy perches, smashing into buildings and sending the residents fleeing for any exit they could find....

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Grimm was at Jade's house, but found himself at a loss for what to do. He couldn't really help with the engineering - all he could do in the end was monitor the computers and feed information to Wade and Jade. But even then, they often asked for data which required shifting between applications he wasn't sure how to run. Despite this, Wade and Jade kept asking for his opinions and advice.

Mercenary work was so much easier in his mind. Stealth missions, covert ops, occasional confrontations - he was used to helping villains with odd jobs to launch global plans. But he'd never really dealt with being on the other side of the fence and trying to organize resistance to one. Yet he found himself, simply by reason of how much he knew about Maze and Monkey Fist's plans, in a position where he was looked to as a leader figure, which he didn't like at all. For the first time ever, he found himself wishing that Kim Possible was there so she could do her normal 'take charge' routine. He kept glancing at the sidelines of the room, instinctively wanting to retreat there. Rueful was hunched over his shoulder, looking around curiously.

Jade paused in her assistance to Wade so she could dart over to the computers and check the data that was coming in. 'So far no reports of golem activity in Riddleton.' she said, sounding relieved. 'Looks like Twitch and the Irregulars came through.'

'What about Monkey Fist's lair?' Grimm said. 'I thought Dementor told you if they used the UAJ on a global scale, you'd be able to track them down.'

'He was only guessing.' Jade said resentfully. 'Turns out - he was wrong. Yeah, it's easier to tell which satellites the UAJ is controlling now, but it's not any easier tracing the signal to its source.'

Grimm sighed in frustration and looked at several screens showing various locations throughout Riddleton. All seemed normal. 'How are these even working?' he said. 'With the UAJ at full strength, I thought they'd take down the internet or something.'

'I'm sure they're trying.' said Wade, his voice echoing from across the shed. 'But not all internet servers use satellites to maintain their connections - a lot of them are ground and cable based. Those should be all right, unless golems start attacking them.'

'There's no telling how many statues overseas the Irregulars might have fixed before Monkey Fist's signal went out.' said Grimm. 'We'll have to assume the worst. How's the Counter-Jammer doing?'

'Looks like it's working.' said Jade. 'I checked the locations we've been covering, and there's no fighting there either. But there's massive activity in every country we've still got wired.'

'If we can hold them off long enough, we can finish the second counter-jammer.' said Grimm. 'And if we can build even more, we can gradually expand the area we cover until Maze is totally blocked, right?'

'Maybe.' Wade shouted. 'They're bound to figure out our game before long...'

'As long as we're hidden in Riddleton, that won't help them.' Grimm said. 'We can stay under their radar, just like they stayed under ours. If this was their total scheme...'

'Well the thing is, even with every statue in the world under their control, we've still got them outnumbered by millions.' said Jade. 'The golems will make a ruckus and do a lot of damage - but once word spreads about how to fight them, they'll be less effective.'

'Monkey Fist and Maze must have realized that.' said Grimm quietly. 'They're aware we knew how to break the enchantment - they must know we'll be spreading the word. Unless this attack is a distraction.' He paused, thinking. 'But what good does it do to put your enemies on high alert? All that does is give them time to gather their forces...'

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In the city of Beijing, Commander Xun looked out over a sea of uniformed soldiers, each armed with rifles and handguns. Battalions of jeeps, tanks and other vehicles were arranged rank on rank. The soldiers looked focused and determined.

'Where are the air strikes?' said Commander Xun impatiently, looking around at the empty skies all around.

The golems running rampant through the city seemed to have gradually joined into a large group. They were working their way through the streets towards their location. The army had cleared out as many civilians as they could.

Commander Xun smiled as he saw the golems drawing nearer. It was a bizarre sight. Stone warriors, dragons and monuments gathered into a lumbering mob of attackers. They seemed to have no organization, nor did they seem to be following any kind of strategy. They were simply turning over cars, breaking windows, tearing down walls and generally doing a lot of damage. And they were walking straight into a trap.

The streets the golems had just entered were narrow and there was only one main path. As Xun had predicted, most of the golems had funneled into this narrow pathway, and were gathered in a large, disorderly mass. He put down his binoculars and shouted to the artillery units. 'Open fire!'

The barrels of tanks, rocket launchers and mortar launchers filled the air with bangs and bursts. There was a short pause and a whistling sound as shells flew to their targets, then the area where the golems had gathered lit up with explosions that rose like fiery blossoms. Nearby buildings collapsed, consumed by the power of the bombardment. Chunks of debris flew everywhere with deafening thunderclaps. For several seconds, the streets became a billowing, roaring inferno. Then the fire dissipated and smoke and dust rose, forming an obscuring fog.

The soldiers cheered, raising their weapons high and Commander Xun nodded curtly. 'That should do it.' he said, turning to his subordinates. 'Send a tank with each infantry platoon and fan out through the city. Have them destroy any other statues that may still be....'

A shout interrupted him. Nearby soldiers were pointing down towards the blast zone. Xun raised his binoculars again. Through the gray clouds of dust, figures were still moving. A phalanx of terra-cotta warriors were plodding through the dust, heading straight for the ranks of the attacking soldiers. Dragons and other statues followed them.

'Open fire!' Xun shouted again. And again the tanks sent a barrage of shells. But the golems, though they were knocked about by the blasts, did not fall. They simply rose back up and continued to advance, slowly and relentlessly.

The infantry readied their rifles. Commander Xun raised his hand, then lowered it. 'Fire at will!' he bellowed. And a hail of bullets sang towards the golems like angry hornets.

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In the Immersion Chamber, Monkey Fist looked up at a display monitor mounted on the wall while he put on the gauntlets and stepped into the circle of sensors. He watched the Chinese army battling the golems with a smirk.

'Ah, communists.' said Monkey Fist, shaking his head. 'So predictable. Acquire more guns and tanks, and their first instinct is to gather them all in one place to show them off. How Freudian.'

Maze was watching as well, standing a short distance away from Monkey Fist as he checked the gauntlets. Maze was puffing and winded, recovering from the exhaustion caused by animating so many statues. He had never seen a fully assembled army, and looked intimidated. 'There are so many of them.' he said. 'My own tribes are small by comparison - I never imagined...'

'China is among the most densely populated countries in the world.' said Monkey Fist. 'They have innumerable weapons, and innumerable hands to wield them. Normally, that would make them quite fearsome. But now - it simply makes them a perfect choice for the second phase of our attack.'

He turned to a speaker mounted near the monitor. 'Dr. Drakken - is the Jammer blocking them?'

'Yes.' came Drakken's raspy voice. 'They've tried launching a few missiles, but we've scrambled all their targeting systems. Even the missiles that went airborne I was able to retarget with the Jammer and send into the oceans. We're also keeping all their air forces grounded. But it won't be long before they ditch satellite control and try radios, helicopters and other stuff...'

'Not to worry.' said Monkey Fist with a wicked grin. 'All their satellites belong to us now - which means we can target them, but they can't target us. The people and military forces across the globe are distracted by our slaves - which means they have made themselves vulnerable.' He gripped the gauntlets and lowered the Immersion helmet onto his head. He concentrated, focusing his will through the Immersion helmet. The UAJ crackled with energy, and Monkey Fist channeled his hate....

The gathered armies in Beijing looked up from their battles against the golems as the sky above suddenly glowed. Commander Xun was distracted from directing his troops, looking up to see the clouds above were ablaze with a strange yellow light. The light sank down through the clouds, and the entire city was bathed in an otherworldly glow, which pulsed for a few short seconds and then disappeared.

And the city was silent. The golems halted their attack and stood still, for there were no enemies left to fight. Every creature in the city, human or animal, stood petrified. And with a sudden flurry of wings, black crows which had been lurking on the edge of the city now filled the sky with their harsh croaking. They swirled and descended, lighting on every victim, and the birds began scratching at the backs of their hands, grooving the Hebrew word emet in place.

Back in the lair, Monkey Fist smiled beneath the Immersion Helmet. 'And with one blow, the bulk of the Red Chinese army - with all their weapons - will be yours to command.' he said. 'Once your birds have finished marking them, you will animate them and swell our ranks with more slaves. The peasants and other citizens will soon follow - and with no one left to control, their leaders will quickly surrender.'

Maze stood apart from the Immersion Pod where Monkey Fist had taken his place, and nodded. 'It seems to be working as we planned.' he said guardedly.

'And it will again.' said Monkey Fist. 'Even now, other nations are doing exactly what our friends in China have done - gathering their armies into massive, convenient targets.'

'And everywhere they gather,' said Maze with a gleam in his eyes, 'We will strike them down. Their numbers will continue to shrink, while ours will grow with each passing hour. We will be unstoppable!'

'Speaking of which,' said Monkey Fist smugly, 'I believe I see quite a massive army assembled at the Kremlin in Russia. They did so love making statues of their beloved Lenin and Marx - I fancy they regret that now.' he concentrated again, re-focusing his will and directing it through the Jammer at his next target....

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Monique and Enrique turned up at Jade's shed, which was feeling chaotic and crowded despite it's size. They pitched in with moving and lifting parts and equipment, though both of them were quiet and a bit pale. They seemed to know something big was going on, even though Riddleton hadn't been attacked by golems yet.

Rufus and Rueful were threading in and out of the counter-jammer superstructure, plugging in wires at Wade and Jade's instruction. Jade leaned in, watching Rufus wind his way through tiny twists and cracks to reach a section deep inside.

'Kind of makes you wish you could be that small sometimes.' she muttered.

'How's it coming?' Grimm said. He was helping with some of the welding, a torch in one hand and a bar of solder in the other.

'If we skip lunch, we could have it up and running in forty.' said Wade.

'Let's skip taking breathers and make it thirty.' Grimm said, darkly. 'If this works and we establish a set pattern of construction, we can pass that on to the army too. The more of these we can make, the better.'

But their bustle of labor was interrupted as the computer monitors and screens they had set up throughout the shed suddenly hissed with static. Then the static ended, and a new visage was shown.

The monitors now showed the same image of Monkey Fist's petrified face. His erudite voice reverberated around the shed as it was piped out of several speakers at once. 'People of Earth - Nations of the world - I am Lord Monkey Fist. The turmoil you are experiencing now is but a taste of my power. Even as I speak to you, our indestructible army of stone warriors are demolishing your towns and cities. Your weapons will be useless against them, and there is no hope in resisting.'

'I broadcast this message to you, feeling for your welfare. We have no wish to inflict unnecessary damage to your cities or to the population. All we ask is for your immediate and unconditional surrender. Submit to our rule, and you will not be harmed. Resist - and I fear I can make no promises for your safety.'

Video images of the battle in China, and the defeat of the army were shown. Millions of petrified soldiers and civilians stood as silent punctuation to Monkey Fist's next words. 'As you can see,' he continued, 'Our weapons can neutralize even your strongest armies. They will soon be our armies. Your own military forces will fight under our control if you do not give in. Nowhere on the Earth is safe from us.'

The image changed, showing a large conference room filled with people shouting back and forth from behind raised desks with name plaques on them. It appeared to be video from a tapped surveillance camera. 'And to prove it,' said Monkey Fist's voice, 'I show you your beloved United Nations - filled with the best and brightest diplomats your societies have to offer....'

Grimm sputtered. 'Jade - we need to block the New York area...!'

But it was too late. The windows outside of the UN building pulsed with yellow light. Static momentarily flickered across the image, and when it cleared again, the body of the UN assembly stood silent, motionless and gray.

Monkey Fist's voice sounded oily as he spoke again. 'Ah... I believe we've finally managed to get them to stop bickering. And I'm sure most of the world will agree I've made them far more intelligent and useful - as paperweights.'

Wade pulled off a headset microphone, looking up from a keyboard where he had been typing. 'It wasn't just the UN they hit.' he said, sounding breathless. 'They just took out all of New York City...'

Monkey Fist's voice now had an air of false compassion. 'This world has, until now, been torn with war, corruption and hatred.' he said. 'We merely wish to end all this destructive conflict with a world united under a single rule. Once you stand together under my banner, setting aside your pride, your greed and your vain ambitions - then you will have peace. Wars will end, and a new, glorious day will rise. We await only your word to usher in a new era of tolerance and equality for one and all.'

'I give each country one hour to agree to my terms. We have control over your satellites, and we will be aware of any transmissions you make which give in to our demands. In every nation that surrenders, the attacks will cease. In the meantime, our servants will continue to demonstrate the futility of resistance.'

'Your communications are cut. Your missiles are grounded. Your armies cannot defeat us. We will continue to target your major cities, and will spare no one. To you leaders of the world, I urge you to capitulate. To the people - I suggest you press your leaders to swift agreement. You have one hour.'

The monitors then burst into static - a dead, heavy static that seemed to hang in the air like a hovering stick of lit dynamite. Neither Wade, nor Jade said anything. Enrique, Monique and Rufus all seemed to swallow at the same time.

'Keep working on the next Counter-Jammer.' said Grimm quietly, breaking the silence. And while the others returned to their labor, he ducked outside.

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Grimm stood in the back yard of the Omo-sa house, outside of Jade's construction shed. Things seemed eerily quiet, but he was sure it was only because he knew what was happening across the world even now. But the fountains in their garden were still tinkling peacefully with the sound of falling water. Leaves were still rustling in the trees, paying no heed to the worry in Grimm's mind.

He wasn't sure why he went outside, except that he simply felt he needed some air. It didn't seem to be helping him though. He secretly hoped that he might see another vision of Rhonda, get more advice, or even (though he dreaded the prospect) another visitation from the Great Bear Spirit.

But neither happened. So far the internet was still working. Ground connections and servers were still running, but with Maze's golems on the attack, it would only be a matter of time before electrical systems were disrupted and IP servers brought down. He was alone with his thoughts, with the growing anxiety of the odds stacked against him.

The world's satellites were under Monkey Fist's control. Through them, they could target anywhere with the power of the Yono, petrifying millions at once. And Grimm knew Maze would use his powers to animate everyone who had been turned to stone, just like he had been at Basalton. The Counter-Jammers were their only hope, but even so, they couldn't protect everywhere. They couldn't be sure where Monkey Fist would target next.

Every ballistic missile depended on satellite targeting, as well as a significant amount of air force communication. All that was essentially useless now. Monkey Fist would petrify city after city, and Maze would have a limitless number of golems at his command. Grimm wasn't too big on math, but even he knew this added up to overwhelming odds. Maze's golem armies would get bigger and bigger, and eventually they would overrun any islands of resistance that Grimm or the others managed to set up. It was only a matter of time.

He leaned against the side of the shed and sighed, wondering now if it had been reckless to refuse Monkey Fist's offer....

As Grimm thought on these things, he heard a sudden voice from across the way.

'Otaatoyiwa!'

Grimm started, going into a defensive crouch, thinking that Maze must have found a way to launch some kind of sneak attack. But he was surprised to see a short figure standing in the shadows beneath a cluster of trees outside the Omo-Sa's backyard garden. The figure in its brown clothing blended in so well it was hard to see him until he stepped forward, his short staff rustling quietly on the grass.

Chief Sakituya stared at Grimm for several silent moments. 'Otaatoyiwa,' he said at last, 'You must come with me - it is nearly time.'

Author: I know this chapter isn't really 'cheerful' holiday fare, but this is what Maze and Monkey Fist have been working towards for twenty-seven chapters! And they demanded to make a good showing of themselves. What will it all mean? How can Kim's vision quest possibly counter all of this? What does Chief Sakituya want with Grimm? Don't miss the next chapter or they'll turn YOU to stone too! Happy Thanksgiving!